Wednesday Writings

The president's personal to-do list

1) Call the secret service and tell them there is a ghost in Lincoln's bedroom.
2) Take a jog and wave at some photographers.
3) Dance party in the oval office.
4) While attending cabinet meeting, wonder why there are no cabinets.
5) Play hide-and-go seek with the secret service but don't tell them we're playing.
6) Join a tour group and act like a tourist.
7) Kiss a baby.
8) Get a fancy pen just for signing bills.
9) Buy all the legislators massages. Because they could all really relax a little.
10) Buy a scooter to ride around the White House.

My Top 5 Movies of 2012

There were a lot of great movies in 2012. It was almost too difficult to choose my top 5 but I did. There are still 5 more movies I'd like to see this year but if they are as good as these, my list would be impossible to make anyways. So here are my top 5 picks for 2012.

5. Skyfall

I have never actually seen any other James Bond movies all the way through but I loved Skyfall. I think the best part of this movie was there was never a moment where I felt like it was dragging on. The action was great and the villain was genuinely creepy. Bond was the right amount of sexy without being weird. I definitely plan on buying this one.

4. The Hunger Games

I don't have problems with books being made with movies. I know a lot of fans do but I can usually separate it pretty well in my head. I've never read the Hunger Games but I think the great part of this movie is that I loved it so much, I actually wanted to go back and read the books. It told enough of the story that anyone who read the books could follow without seeming like it was made for idiots. This movie also started my major girl crush on Jennifer Lawrence. I can't wait for the next movie and I am looking forward to reading the books.

3. Moonrise Kingdom

If you have not seen this movie, do it right now! It is absolutely fantastic. The acting is amazing and the story is amazing! I have never seen anything quite like this movie. It's funny and sweet. I can't wait to own this one and watch it over and over. Wes Anderson is a really great director and it really added to the humor. It's already won 11 awards and I'm looking forward to see how it does for the rest of the award season.

2. Argo

If you don't know me, I'm a big fan of historical pieces. This movie is based on a true story and from the research I've done, it does a really great job of sticking to the true story. I really like Ben Affleck's performance as well as his directing. I also love Alan Arkin and John Goodman. The story is suspenseful and interesting.

1. Silver Linings Playbook

Holy crap this movie is in my top 5 favorite of all time! Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are amazing! The story is funny and sad and interesting and I loved every bit of this movie. Joe said the ending was predictable but it's a romantic comedy so of course it was little predictable. What made it better was I was never sure how we would get to that ending. Pat seems like he will never get over his ex-wife and you don't know how he is going to handle things with Tiffany. It's obvious she loves him but he hides his feelings so well. I will definitely be buying this one as soon as it's out on DVD.

My Make Up Collection

My sister has been pestering me for weeks to do a post about my make up so I am humoring her and doing this post. This is my take on a make up post. I don't follow make up blogs or anything like that so I have no idea what goes into a make up post. If I'm missing something, let me know and I'll update you.

This is where I do my make up. I sit in front of my full length mirror with everything around me. I keep all my samples in my Influenster Beauty Blogger box. I also keep hand sanitizer right in front because I like to sanitize my hands before I do my make up. On top of my Ferrero Rocher box, I have a jar with my brushes and Neutrogena Ultra-Soft Eye Make Up Remover Pads. Those are absolutely amazing by the way. I'll have to do a review some time. Anyways, I have my two Influenster cards over my Thirty-One bag that holds all my make up. Next to that is my straightner and hair dryer.

Face Products

Covergirl Clean Sensitive Skin Pressed Powder- Ivory 205

Covergirl Clean Normal Skin Liquid Foundation- Ivory 105

Mary Kay Acne Treatment Gel

Mary Kay Signature Eye Primer

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Blushes

Covergirl Cheekers- Pretty Peach

Covergirl Cheekers- Natural Twinkle

Ulta Cheek Color- Flush

Liners & Mascaras

Maybelline Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner- Brown

Ulta Duel Ended Eyeliner- Deep Brown & Chocolate

Ulta Duel Ended Eyeliner- Bronze & Black

Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner- Espresso

Ulta Voluptuous Volume Mascara

Maybelline Volum' Express The Colossal Washable- Glam Black

Eyeshadows

Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection

Ulta Eyeshadow Quad- It Girl

NYC Individual Eyes Custom Compact- Dark Shadows

Maybelline Expertwear Eyeshadow Trio- Impeccable Greys

Ulta Eyeshadow Quad- Bone/Mystique/Espresso/Gold Dust

Ulta Eyeshadow Quad- Silk/Honey Bee/Sapphire/Green Machine

Ulta Eyeshadow- Mink

NYX Eyeshadow- Iced Mocha

NYX Eyeshadow- Flamingo

Lip Products

Ulta Brilliant Lip Gloss- Plush

Ulta Super Shiny Lip Gloss- Illusion

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm with Vitamin E & Peppermint

Ulta Lipstick- Dare to Bare

EOS Lip Balm Smooth Sphere- Summer Fruit

Ulta Super Shiny Lip Gloss- Whisper

Bath and Body Works Liplicious Tasty Lip Color- Peach Daiquiri

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss- Passion Fruit Pop

Bath and Body Works C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries Organics Moisturizing Lip Shine- Raspberry Jam

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter- Cherry Tart

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter- Raspberry Pie 

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter- Strawberry Shortcake

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter- Sweet Tart

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter- Peach Parfait

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter- Berry Smoothie

So now that you've seen my collection, I feel that I must offer up some sort of explanation where most of this comes from. A lot of the Ulta products were gifts with purchase. Quite a bit is either a gift or a hand-me-down from Jessica. Some are even from my parents. And by "gifts", I mean I stole some of it from my mom. Less than half I purchased for myself. Only four of the lip butters were purchased by me in the last year. Everything else is a gift or old. I know I should toss stuff but I don't care that much. So that's my collection. Go check out my sister if you want more informed blogging on make up.

Relaxation

One of my goals for 2013 was to make more time for relaxation. I've found a couple of ways that help integrate relaxation better into my lifestyle.

Reading: I've made it a goal to read for about 30 minutes every night after class. Not homework or academic reading. Just personal fun reading. I've been working on The Hunger Games and I've found homework more bearable knowing I will have time to read something fun later in the evening. It will also get me closer to my other goal of reading 10 books for fun this year.

Journaling: I tried to do this last year and it lasted for about three months. This year, I'm only writing when I feel anxious about something. It's less pressure that way and putting it in my journal is a good way to release it. I've been trying to use people less as a way to vent and the journal helps with that.

Blogging: I've set aside time to work on four blogs a week and it really gives me something to look forward to. It's nice personal time where I feel like I'm not neglecting homework and it is incredibly relaxing. After I write a post, I feel like I've accomplished something for myself and I really love my blog so it gives me joy to see the long list of scheduled posts.

Lotion: It sounds so weird to say that but I've gotten in to the habit of putting lotion on every morning and it gives me a moment of peace in the morning before my day gets really busy. It's time focused just on me and no matter how small the moment, the point was to make more time for relaxation.

Meditation: Meditation doesn't have to be sitting on the floor saying "Om". I practice meditation by taking a moment to relax every time I get frustrated. I clear my head and take deep breaths. It doesn't always work and sometimes I feel like I'm just getting more frustrated but that's when it's time to take other steps. Usually taking deep breaths gets me to a point where I can deal with it.

Friday Faves

Is it really Friday again already? Who can tell when every day is homework day?!

1. Saturday with Jessica and Liam

I got a visit from Jessica and Liam on Saturday. We had a blast! We went shopping and Liam got to play with Courtney. I have missed them so much!

2. Rice Pudding

I made some really yummy rice pudding on Sunday. You'll be able to read about it in February. It's so creamy and warm. I just love cuddling up with a bowl as a reward for a long day of trekking through the snow for classes.

3. Valentine's Day

Aren't these ties cool? I'm getting Luke one of these very cool ties with a page on a book of 1942 military chemical warfare. Cyberoptix makes some really cool ties and Luke liked quite a few so it might be my new back up for presents for the boy. 

4. WIVC Training

I spent a lovely hour learning about the Womens Issues Volunteer Corps this week and I can truly say I am so excited by their mission that I can't wait to get involved.

5. Honest Abe

When you're riding the struggle bus and it seems like the week may never get to five faves, you gotta find a mantra to remind yourself that sometimes the walking gets a little slower. The pace this week definitely took a nose dive. But the attitude won't. I most certainly am not ever going backwards.

Wednesday Writings

A beginner's guide to getting up in the morning

OK, well let me be the first to apologize for this horrible adventure. Let's start by saying if you do this every day, it will not get easier. But you will become numb to the pain of getting up in the morning. You need to pick a time to get up. It should be the optimal balance between sleeping as late as possible and having enough time to get ready. You should probably limit how much time you need to get ready because honestly, unless you are a model, there is nothing you need to look that good for. And even with models, they have people to do their hair and make up so really they could sleep in even later. So yeah to sum that up even models can sleep in. Moving on, you need to pick an alarm. I use the alarm on my phone and I chose a ringtone that is not terrifying to wake up to. You don't need something cheery for an alarm. Otherwise it will startle you. So once you have your wake up time and alarm, be sure to set the alarm. Don't forget that part. "My alarm didn't go off" is for wimps. So now that you have a wake up time and an alarm, go to bed and try to sleep. Don't worry if you don't sleep. It's your body's way of saying screw you for setting the alarm in the first place.
Now we've come to the part where the alarm goes off and it's time to get up. You have a couple of choices at this point. You could hit snooze but if you've maximized your sleep time as you should have, snooze should not be an option. My personal choice is to stumble around in a half-alive state and get ready as quickly as possible and then curl up in a blanket until I must leave. And then caffinate like it's your job. And that's about all there is to getting up in the morning. It sucks and it doesn't get easier. Sorry.

Hot Tubbing

Do you know what the most relaxing thing in the world is? Sitting in a hot tub while it's snowing. Joe and I got a groupon a while ago for an hour of hot tubbing for $3 apiece. It was so relaxing and a great way to spend time with my bestie right before classes started. We went to Oasis Hot Tub Gardens in Kalamazoo. Their staff is always helpful and super nice and I've always been impressed with how clean it is.

10 Person Hot Tub for 2 :)

Fancy Fireplace!

Hot Tub Land Shark

Influenster Beauty Blogger: Kiss Nails Prize

For everyone who completed the Kiss brand challenge for the Influenster Beauty Blogger Vox Box, Kiss Nails sent out a set of lashes and a set of "nail dresses". It took about a month for it to arrive and I'm still waiting on another brand challenge prize so that is a little disappointing but anyways...

Lashes- Kind of a waste on me. I won't use them. My first experience turned me off to false lashes for a while. I'll probably just give them to someone else.

Nail Dresses- I am excited for these. Instead of doing the whole nail, I'm thinking I might cut them down and make them french tips.

Friday Faves

It's Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday. Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend. Friday, Friday. Gettin' down on Friday. Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend..... Oh, I'm sorry that happened.

1. Red Robin

Last Friday, Luke and I enjoyed some Red Robin. I'd been craving it all week. And now I'm talking about it again and it's making me want it again. OK, so anyways, it totally hit the spot. Except for the part where Luke swished Coke around his mouth and made a disgusting show of it because Coke tastes terrible to me right now. So that was... less than appetizing. It is definitely tops in my choices of burgers.

2. New Letters

My little love gave me my new set of letters on Sunday. I'm completely in love with them. They are so soft and so comfy. I love the crew neck style and I am absolutely obsessed with the Vera Bradley letters! My little love knows me so well and our little branch looks so cute all matchy matchy in our Vera letters.

3. Best Friend Thursday

Joe and I spent a lovely Thursday hanging out. We made wonton soup and Oreo balls, both of which I will be blogging about in February. It was much need BFF time for both of us. Joe has been great with going along with all the things I want to try for the blog and the wonton soup was an especially yummy one that will definitely happen again. I <3 you, bestie!

4. New Year

Classes are still going well. Week 2 was a little more of a struggle but I'm finding that I'm dealing well and handling the stress without being overwhelmed. We'll see how the rest of the semester goes.

5. Valentine's Day

Luke and I talked about Valentine's Day this week. It's giving me a lot to look forward to! We don't do romantic things ever so this will be a new experience for us. I've been shopping for his present and that's a challenge. Shopping for Luke is like shopping for the queen. You want to do something nice but you don't want to spend too much and you know they already have everything. Etsy is amazing. I bought his birthday present there and I think that's where I'll end up getting this present too. Plus I've been doing my Valentine's Day themed blog posts and that's fun too. Overall, I've been getting into the pink and red mood.

Wednesday Writings

The smell of a place you love

It's musty. Sort of like you'd expect. Like water and sand have lived there for 45 years. Probably because they have. It's also got a not-so-subtle hint of moth balls. That's Grandpa's fault. But it smells sweet too. Like all the best parts of spring and summer. The lilies that Grandma planted out by the garage. Fresh cut grass. Rotting leaves in the ditch and the seaweed that's washed up on shore. The countless fires in the fire pit. 45 years of these smells all mingling in a little house. Plus all the inside scents. Burgers and hot dogs from the grill. Grandpa's fried mush. Musty old library books my sister and I read for countless hours on the porch. Sunscreen slathered all over in haste. If you could bottle the smells inside this little shack, you'd have the ideal summer scent. It wouldn't be pretty or sexy but it would definitely be memories.

Chicken Rice Soup

Do you know what the best part about winter is? Creamy warm soup. Soup that is so thick, it makes soup from a can look pathetic. Joe makes a delicious chicken rice soup with peas and carrots. He got the recipe from his mama so I don't particularly feel like sharing it just because it feels extra special. It cooks all day in the crock pot on low and it uses a rotisserie chicken so it's really easy. I wish I could eat this soup every day.

Holiday Movie Marathon & Hot Chocolate

Like I said when I introduced my winter bucket list, winter is a fraud. I like staying in to watch movies and drink hot chocolate. So that's what we did. Our marathon included: Home Alone 1, Home Alone 2, Home Alone 3, Die Hard, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Elf. It was a great day spent with my best friend!

Yum yum yum!

Hi Joey!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Om nom nom I love cookies! This is one goal from the winter bucket list that I have really been excited about! Joe and I chose to make oatmeal raisin cookies because we had all the ingredients on hand. I love oatmeal raisin cookies. They are chewy and soft. We used Betty Crocker's recipe because she seems to know what she is doing and they were pretty tasty!

Friday Faves

The second week of 2013 and the first week of classes was very hectic for me. It's not that it was a bad week. It's just difficult to think of good things when you have a million things to do so I'm going to do my best this week to come up with really good things that happened despite going back to class.

1. Grey's Anatomy Season 8

I spent my last weekend before classes enjoying season 8 of Grey's. If you haven't seen season 8 or season 9, you should get on that because they are really good. I also enjoyed watching the latest episode with a bunch of sisters last night.

2. Hulk Baby

I went home to go to the dentist and got to take Liam his Christmas present from his Uncle Joe. He absolutely loves his Hulk blanket and ran around wearing it until Jessica decided to do something and then he of course had to bother her for a while. Toddler priorities.

3. Lunch With Emily

I got to catch up with Emily this week. It was really great seeing her and getting to hear about her break. We just get along so well.

4. Quality Dairy Doughnut

I went to visit my mom at work this week and she bought me my favorite doughnut in the whole world. She is such a nice mama.

5. Amy Pohler

I wish she was my BFF.

Wednesday Writings

Write a poem about a tomato.

Bright red tomato 

I think you are a veggie 

Fruit, you confuse me

Doctor Who Christmas Special 2012

WARNING: May contain spoilers.

The Doctor Who Christmas Special is on my winter bucket list because honestly, it wouldn't be Christmas without the Doctor Who Special. Anyways, this year's special is titled "The Snowmen". We have Matt Smith as the Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new companion, Clara Oswald. It also features a new Tardis design! We have the return of Madame Vastra, Strax, and Jenny. Jenny and Madame Vastra really should have their own spin-off because the characters are just hilarious and Strax is a fun character.

The story is set in Victorian London and without giving too much away, it is definitely the scariest Christmas special in recent years. It also left some pretty big things hanging. How is Clara going to begin travelling with the Doctor? And how is the Doctor going to fix this Oswin/Clara mess? I'm really excited to see all this play out in season 8.

"I'm the clever one! You're the potato one!"

One Minute Mug Cake

I am a very impatient person. Waiting 30 minutes for a regular cake to bake and then another 15 minutes for it to cool is incredibly torturous. Even this one minute mug cake takes a little too long but it is better than 45 minutes. I found the recipe here. Joe and I have done chocolate, strawberry, and lemon. I love the strawberry! The best part is how easy it is to remember the directions: 1 minute in the microwave for 2 tablespoons of water and 3 tablespoons of mix.

Friday Faves

The first Friday Faves of 2013! Happy New Years!

1. Hot Tubbing

I went hot tubbing with Joe on Thursday. It was so relaxing and it was a great way to spend an hour the week before classes start.

2.  Vera Bradley Turn Lock Wallet

Luke bought me this wallet to match my bag for Christmas and I just love it!

3. Lincoln

Luke and I went to see Lincoln this week and it was amazing! Definitely a must-see!

4. New Year's Eve

Courtney and I had a blast on NYE eating McDonald's and Taco Bell and watching movies. We goofed around and stayed up long enough to see the ball drop and to wish everyone we knew a happy new year and then went to bed. It was pretty great!

5. Friends

It's been deathly cold in my house but I've been cuddled up in my bed watching Friends and I have to say it is definitely my favorite show!

Wednesday Writings

I introduce to you a new weekly post here at Fondue You Love Me? called Wednesday Writings. Joe will be giving me two prompts each week from the book 642 Things to Write About from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto and I will be choosing one to write for and post here every Wednesday. I'm not sure how  much I like this so far as I am fairly private when it comes to creative writing but we will give this a shot. I hope you enjoy this change of pace from the recipes and activities and I welcome constructive criticism. Sort of.

Your Favorite Hiding Place

There is a shadowy dwelling where I hide from the world. I escape all my problems and I find complete solace in its quiet embrace. It welcomes me back like an old friend. I happily crawl into its open arms and lay there in a state you can’t possibly recreate in any other moment. That place between awake and asleep is unmatched. It waits quietly all day and when I am awake, I yearn to return to the silent comfort of half-asleep meditation. Those moments are the furthest you can get from any suffering. Sometimes the trip there is treacherous. Sometimes the trip there is painful. I don’t think it was ever meant to be found in a blissful state. I think it only opens its doors when you really need a place to take cover from a demon. It means to be concealment for the lost. It is the island of misfit toys. There is nothing happy about it but it isn’t sad either. It is a cozy cave that takes you in after the long hard moments of loneliness and turmoil. It’s like a drug that melts away fears and anxieties. It is my chosen escape.

2013 Bucket List

After doing an autumn bucket list and a winter bucket list, I decided to create a list that would be a challenge. These are the 12 things that I really have been meaning to do and would really add something to my life. The goal is to do one thing every month. I'm really excited to get started and see how this goes.